2009 in baseball was definitely the year of the pitcher. While it looks like Zack Greinke should definitely win the Cy Young award in the American League, things are much closer in the National League, leaving many to speculate about a very interesting race.
There were some exceptional pitching performances in the National League in 2009. It can be argued that at least 4 or 5 pitchers would have won it hands down in seasons past had they had these seasons then. Some of the best pitchers this past season included the likes of Adam Wainwright, Jair Jurrjens, Clayton Kershaw, and Matt Cain. Not to mention many others.
Between the St. Louis Cardinals' Chris Carpenter and the San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum, the two pitchers pieced together two of the best pitching seasons in baseball that I've witnessed over the last few years. A quick look at their numbers would lead you to agree.
However, there's a lot more to what both of these aces accomplished than just some incredible stats. Sometimes, intangible factors like these may factor into determining who's more worthy of an award. That may very well have to be the case this year.
As for Tim Lincecum, the Giants are once again a winning baseball team, thanks largely in part to his reliable presence as the team's ace. He struck out more batters than anyone in the National League, had a handful of complete games, and the second best ERA in the National League.
How about Carpenter though? Having missed two seasons in a row, he came back and was better than ever. With an NL best 2.24 earned run average, and NL best 1.01 WHIP, and a 17-4 win-loss record, Carpenter was as good as it gets.
As for who will win this race, all bets are off. Voters will probably be required to vote based on the surrounding details rather than the stats themselves. After all, the stats themselves would lead someone to mull this over all day.
There were some exceptional pitching performances in the National League in 2009. It can be argued that at least 4 or 5 pitchers would have won it hands down in seasons past had they had these seasons then. Some of the best pitchers this past season included the likes of Adam Wainwright, Jair Jurrjens, Clayton Kershaw, and Matt Cain. Not to mention many others.
Between the St. Louis Cardinals' Chris Carpenter and the San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum, the two pitchers pieced together two of the best pitching seasons in baseball that I've witnessed over the last few years. A quick look at their numbers would lead you to agree.
However, there's a lot more to what both of these aces accomplished than just some incredible stats. Sometimes, intangible factors like these may factor into determining who's more worthy of an award. That may very well have to be the case this year.
As for Tim Lincecum, the Giants are once again a winning baseball team, thanks largely in part to his reliable presence as the team's ace. He struck out more batters than anyone in the National League, had a handful of complete games, and the second best ERA in the National League.
How about Carpenter though? Having missed two seasons in a row, he came back and was better than ever. With an NL best 2.24 earned run average, and NL best 1.01 WHIP, and a 17-4 win-loss record, Carpenter was as good as it gets.
As for who will win this race, all bets are off. Voters will probably be required to vote based on the surrounding details rather than the stats themselves. After all, the stats themselves would lead someone to mull this over all day.
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